Burnham parents group calls for permanent closure of Hinkley Point

Published: October 30, 2006
Burnham parents group calls for permanent closure of Hinkley Point

Burnham-based campaign group Parents Concerned About Hinkley has this week called for Hinkley Point B to be permanently taken out of action following the temporary closure of the site's reactors.

As we previously reported, both its advanced gas-cooled reactors are currently shut down and campaigners from PCAH argue it should never open again.

Problems at the plant include cracks in a reactor's graphite core, and cracks in boiler pipes, which are currently being repaired by engineers.

PCAH member - and mother of two - Angela Wicks said in a statement released by the group on Monday (October 30th): "I have recently joined PCAH because I am very worried about the situation at Hinkley B. This is an accident waiting to happen."

"The station is 30 years old and clearly at the end of its life. We should not put profits above public safety. The station should be closed down permanently and we should look at cleaner and safer ways of getting our energy in future. We owe this to our children."

But British Energy says the cracks are within its safety plan and the decommissioning date remains 2011. A statement from the company stated: "The graphite cores are made up of a number of graphite bricks arranged in layers. It is accepted... that cracks will occur in some of the bricks as part of the normal ageing process within the graphite reactor core."